Ashton Kutcher Popchips Video Deemed Racist by Online Critics
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Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic(LOS ANGELES) — The maker of Popchips has come under criticism for an online ad campaign starring Ashton Kutcher that some people feel is racist.
In the Popchips video, Kutcher plays four characters of various backgrounds participating in a dating service. One of those characters is Raj, a Bollywood producer portrayed by Kutcher in brownface. Kutcher also appears as himself late in the clip.
Commentators on Twitter and YouTube have called the Raj character racist. In response, a rep for Popchips tells The Hollywood Reporter, “The new Popchips worldwide dating video and ad campaign featuring four characters was created to provoke a few laughs and was never intended to stereotype or offend anyone.”
The rep also said the ads were only intended to be a “fun online campaign.”
Kutcher serves as the “president of pop culture” for Popchips.
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